Call Description

Full Bleed - Manga, Anime and Urban Art

This exhibition seeks to highlight artists and artwork styles at the fringes of the canon. What new visions and new inspirations can you express through the lenses of the popular styles of graffiti, urban art, anime and manga. 

The inspiration for this exhibit is to give a stage to young artists to share their works with the community at large. Our aim is to create the space for emerging artists to exhibit alongside established artists, to support budding artistic careers and to build relationships with artists across generations and genres.  

This exhibit will be displayed in a State Parks facility, thus please keep all works family friendly. Artwork with sensitive subject matter (i.e. nudity, offensive religious or political statements, and/or violence) may be juried out. No NSFW. 

As part of the exhibit we will have themed events, including an opening reception with a graffiti battle and a cosplay fashion show at the close of the exhibit.  More details as the show approaches. 

Open to all Hawaiʻi based 2D and 3D artists in genre of anime, manga, graffiti or urban art. 

Juror: TBD

First entry free for Hawaii Students. Use Code: “HIStudent”

Sponsored by Hawaiʻi Island Art Alliance (HIAA) and the Hawai’i State Parks. In Collaboration with Youth Art Series at East Hawaii Cultural Center and SOULEXIS.

Note: Maximum of five entries per artist, with $20 non-refundable entry fee for each submission.

Important Dates

Exhibition Dates: September 25 - October 29, 2026

Submission Deadline: August 28; 11:59pm HST  

Artist notification: Wednesday, September 2, 2026 

Accepted Artwork Drop-off:

Hilo - Wailoa Center:  Saturday, September 19, between 10:00am - 2:00pm.
 

Kona - Kona Frame Shop Parking Lot*: Friday, September 18, at 10:00am. Note: To be eligible for Kona drop-off, Artwork must be less than 40" x 40" and securely wrapped for transport.

Off Island work must be received by Friday, September 18. IMPORTANT: All shipped artwork MUST follow additional Shipping Requirements listed below.

Opening Reception: Friday, September 25, 5:00 - 7:00 pm.

Exhibition Opens: Friday, September 25, 2026 at 5pm

Exhibition Closes: Thursday, October 29, 2025
 

Artwork Pick-up:

Hilo - Wailoa Center: Friday, October 30, between 10:00am - 2:00pm.

Kona - Kona Frame Shop Parking Lot*: Friday, October 30, 10:00am.

Off-Island: Artworks will be shipped by Nov 10, 2026

*Kona pick-ups and drop-offs will be in the parking lot outside of Kona Frame Shop (73-5619 Kauhola St.) DO NOT contact the folks at Kona Frame Shop to make arrangements. Please contact Wailoa Center. More info upon acceptance to the exhibit. 
 

Submitting Artwork

• To enter, participants must have a CaFÉ account and create a portfolio.
• If you do not have an existing CaFÉ account, you must first create one in order to proceed to submitting artwork to this juried exhibition.
• For each artwork submission, you will need to upload an image and artwork information to your portfolio in CaFÉ.
• The maximum file size that will be accepted is 5 MB.
• For this call we highly recommend submitting high quality images with the longest edge at 1200 pixels, sRGB, jpeg.
• Once submitted and entry fees are paid, you cannot make changes to your submission or add further artworks.

To better showcase your 3D works, you can:

Submit multiple photographs of your artwork or a collage. This will allow the juror to see the work from all angles.

Submit a short video of the artwork. Take a video as you walk around the piece or from a variety of angles. Please note in the video description that the 3D object is the submission not the video itself.

When creating your CAFE account and portfolio, be ready with both an artist statement and description of each work. 

• Your artist's statement will be entered when creating your account. This can include a short bio, and/or your perspective as an artist.  (Max of 2000 characters)
• When uploading artwork images and information to your portfolio, please use the description section to convey the vision or story behind each work.  (Max of 2000 characters)
• Both the artist statement and artwork description will be included in the exhibit documentation.

Need Help? Check out this helpful videos from CaFÉ:

Image Requirements: https://www.callforentry.org/artist-help-cafe/uploading-media/

Preparing Images for Download: https://www.callforentry.org/preparing-your-image-files-for-upload/

Photographing your work: https://www.callforentry.org/photographing-artwork/

Entry Fees: 

$20 non-refundable entry fee per each submission. Maximum of five entries per artist. All images or videos must be submitted digitally and will be judged by jurors based upon files submitted.

 

Hawaii Island Student Discount - To encourage more local students to participate in the shows at Wailoa Center, HIAA offers a free first entry student discount for all HIAA-sponsored calls. 

This discount is available to all full time Hawaii Island students grade school through college, and can be redeemed using code 'HIStudent'. 

Acceptance:

Artists will be notified via email on the status of their application by September 2. Please make sure your CaFÉ account is updated with your current contact information to ensure you are receiving communication from Wailoa Center and HIAA.

Shipping Details for Off-Island Artists

IMPORTANT: Read ALL Shipping Requirements. Further shipping instructions will be sent with acceptance emails. 

• Off-Island work must be received by Friday, September 18.
• Artists are responsible for all return shipping costs and payment arrangements. Please research shipping costs. 
• Accepted artwork must be shipped in reusable packaging suitable for return shipment and include all packing materials necessary for repacking. 
• Artists must provide a valid FedEx account number and shipping instructions prior to the exhibition opening. UPS and USPS return shipping is not available.
• Wailoa Center volunteers will repack and ship unsold artwork using the artist’s designated carrier account. 
• Wailoa Center does not pay return shipping charges, purchase shipping insurance, obtain shipping quotes, or process carrier claims. 

Failure to provide required shipping information may result in the artwork being ineligible for exhibition.

Shipping Address:
WAILOA CENTER
200 Piopio St. 
Hilo, Hawaii 96720

Sales:

For any work sold, 75% of sales goes to the artist and 25% goes to HIAA for support of artists, art opportunities and exhibitions at Wailoa Center. 
 

Prizes: 

Monetary prizes will be awarded. 

About Wailoa Center:

Located in Piʻopiʻo and the Wailoa River State Recreation Area, Wailoa Center is one of Hawai’i Island’s largest venues for showcasing the work of local and international artists. With exhibits that change monthly, the two galleries within Wailoa Center offer opportunities that provide inspiration and exposure to artists and community members alike. The Wailoa Center is free and open to the public.
 

About Hawaiʻi Island Art Alliance: 

Founded in 2015, Hawai`i Island Art Alliance (HIAA) is a non-profit organization supporting and inspiring art and culture in our community. HIAA is a completely volunteer-driven, whose current Mission is to concentrate on the support and production of a variety of happenings at the Wailoa Center. 

HIAA sponsors juried and non-juried exhibits, educational and cultural programming at Wailoa Center throughout the year.  Through its contributions at Wailoa Center, HIAA hopes to positively impact the art and cultural community on Hawaiʻi Island.

Legal Terms (Rules and Terms to Apply)

Application Requirements

• Completed Portfolio on CaFÉ with 1 - 5 artwork samples.
• Submission fee: $20 per entry (non-refundable).
• Artist Statement (filled out when making your CAFE account)
• Description of artwork (filled out when creating your CAFE portfolio)

Eligibility Criteria

• Open to Hawaii State residents (please research shipping costs).
• Open to any media (2D, 3D, video, etc) in the genre of anime, manga, graffiti or urban art.
• No AI generated or assisted art will be accepted.
• For 2D works larger than 7’ tall x 9’ wide’ or 3D works taller than 10' or wider 6' feet, please contact Wailoa Center.
• Artwork must have been created in the past four years.
• Artwork can NOT have been previously exhibited at Wailoa Center.
• This exhibit will be displayed in a State Parks facility, thus artwork with sensitive subject matter (i.e. nudity, offensive religious or political statements, and or violence) may be juried out. NO NSFW
• If accepted, all work MUST be gallery quality installation ready to hang or be easily installed. 2D framed wall art must use gallery wire with d-rings or equivalent. No sawtooth hardware.
• If you have any questions regarding you or your artwork's eligibility, please contact Wailoa Center at (808) 933-0416 or dlnr.sp.wailoacenter@hawaii.gov
• Please click the "Legal Terms" button below to read all rules for entry.